The Afghan winter is harsh and poor people are vulnerable in bad weather. AIL keeps supplies and money available to provide for emergencies. In November, 200 people received food from AIL. Basic food supplies include oil, peas, legumes and rice. This support is hugely important to these people who struggle to provide for their families even when the weather is good. Winter creates added stress and difficulties, but the donations of food from AIL are helping to see people through. AIL continues to keep some supplies and money on hand in the event of extraordinary disasters, in addition to harsh weather food aid.

As winter approaches, AIL is making sure it is well supplied with food and other items in case of disaster. Sometimes the poor just cannot get by in the harsh weather and then AIL is able to make distributions of basic food stuffs such as oil, rice and beans. AIL needs funds to restock its shelves with emergency rations. The staff hope each year that they will have enough to help everyone who needs it. Weather is not the only emergency that might happen in the next 4 months of cold weather and AIL will be ready to offer help whatever the crisis.

Your support would be greatly appreciated. More information on AIL’s work is included in Creating Hope International’s newsletter.

The world heard about the devastating landslides that engulfed the village of Abi Barak in Badakhshan Province. AIL wanted to help and was part of a task force in Herat (some 800km away) to coordinate relief coming from that area. Money has been raised and used to buy tents, food, medicine, clothes and blankets. The people have lost family, homes, livelihood, livestock and are traumatized, in shock and grief stricken. They needed everything from clothing to shelter, food and hope for a way forward.

It has been a difficult time in Afghanistan with a number of natural disasters such as storms, floods and earthquakes over the past half year. In early June, a flood killed more than 80 people in Baghlan and destroyed thousands home displacing a lot of families. AIL wants to provide relief help for these people too.

On April 5th, an historic election was held in Afghanistan. Over 7 million voters participated, and the elections were generally a peaceful affair. We at AIL hosted election workshops leading up to the vote, and asked the managers of our Learning Centers to educate students at the centers about why the vote was important, what steps they needed to take in order to vote, how to research and select candidates, and how to vote.

The effort to encourage Afghans to vote was not limited to our workshops and Learning Centers however. At a private school owned by Dr. Sakena Yacoobi (our CEO) the Arts and Culture Teacher, Mehrjui, set a poem she had written about the election to music. The song encourages all Afghans to become aware of their responsibilities, to select a good candidate for President and to vote. The PSYPS Arts and Culture students sang this song at a celebration on International Women’s Day as well as at our election workshops. The song was incredibly well received, moving many in the audience.

The students, staff, and administration at the school quickly realized how powerful their song was, so with the help of the AIL Academic Advisor and the AIL video production team, they set about recording their song so that it could be shared with a wider audience. They had no idea how popular the song was about to become.

The song quickly went viral, being aired on Afghanistan’s National TV station, as well as on eleven other stations. The song has been played many times over and candidates running for president even asked if they could buy the song to use in their campaign. The PSYPS students and staff declined to sell the song, deciding the purpose of the song was to encourage all Afghans to participate in the elections, not to support just one candidate.

As Afghanistan moves closer to a runoff election this summer, the song continues to be played on the radio and the video over the airwaves. In short, the song continues to encourage Afghans to participate in the upcoming elections and to make sure their voices are heard.

We encourage you to take a moment to view the video made by the students, to read the lyrics below and to see the hope in these young people’s faces. After watching, we hope that you will stand with the youth of Afghanistan, and join us as we work with them to create a peaceful future for their nation.

(Chorus Song)

Let’s put our hands together, let’s get together.

Our hands hold our votes and our votes hold our future.

With one vote, we can be our sultan, our voice

For a better choice for a better leader

My fellow citizen It’s my vote, it’s your vote

It’s a privilege for enduring peace

My dear fellow citizen, with our vote leadership is in our hand

My fellow citizen, stride, my fellow citizen!

With the name of God, we speak from the power of our thoughts

From our decision, unity, humanity and right

No longer speak of suicide bombing, explosion, but of creativity and pride

Don’t speak of the hills under the thorn

Speak of the friendship of verdant soil and the rose garden

Speak of spring, spring and spring

(Narration)

Let’s hope that this spring Afghanistan will turn into a magnificent garden. A garden in which the smell of every rose invites the world for a spectacle.

Let’s hope for a different spring, for a different year and for a different Afghanistan

Hi everyone! AIL is off to a great start this year, with thousands of new students enrolling in our centers and dozens of workshops and seminars teaching Afghans how to live healthy lives. However, there are many Afghans who are barely surviving. AIL’s food distribution program, thanks to you, has helped to feed and clothe the poorest of Afghans during the harsh winter months.

Your donations have allowed AIL to distribute food packages to 200 Afghan families for nearly 1200 people in the month of February alone. These packages include cans of tomato paste, cooking oil, 10 pounds of rice, and 3 pounds of beans. This is enough food to help needy families supplement their diets for nearly a month.

All of us at CHI and AIL are very thankful for your continued support of our “Save Poor Afghan Families from Starving” program, and the beneficiaries of this food aid are most grateful. Over a thousand women, men and children will not go hungry tonight thanks to your dedication to our cause. Thank you!!

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